ざる

noun

colander

1. colander; strainer; sieve

A basket of woven bamboo or perforated metal or plastic, used to drain or rinse food such as noodles and washed vegetables. Also the bamboo tray on which cold noodles are served.

ざるで麺(めん)の湯(ゆ)を切(き)った。

I drained the noodles with a colander.

ざるに野菜(やさい)を入(い)れて、水(みず)で洗(あら)ってください。

Please put the vegetables in a strainer and wash them with water.

蕎麦(そば)はざるに盛(も)って出(だ)された。

The soba was served on a bamboo strainer.

米(こめ)をざるに入(い)れて水(みず)を切(き)ってから炊飯器(すいはんき)に入(い)れる。

I put the rice in a strainer to drain the water before putting it in the rice cooker.

竹(たけ)のざるは見(み)た目(め)がきれいだけど、手入(てい)れが大変(たいへん)なので、金属(きんぞく)のざるを使(つか)う人(ひと)も多(おお)い。

Bamboo strainers look nice, but since they're hard to maintain, many people use metal ones.

A ざる is a strainer or colander, traditionally made of bamboo but now also available in metal or plastic. It is essential in Japanese cooking for draining noodles, washing rice, and straining vegetables.

Common expressions

ざるで水(みず)を切(き)る (drain water with a colander)
ざるに上(あ)げる (lift into a strainer)
ざる蕎麦(そば) (cold soba served on a bamboo strainer)

The term ざる also appears in the expression ざる耳(みみ), meaning "in one ear and out the other" (like water through a sieve).

Related Words

Related: 籠(かご) (basket, cage)

Related: すくい網(あみ) (skimmer)

Related: 水切(みずき)り (draining water)

Compare: 茶漉(ちゃこ)し (tea strainer)

Compare: ふるい (sieve)

core

Added 2026.1.15 3:52 · Revised 2026.10.2 11:09

04000/04470_zaru